oh not to mention they have been in direct sunlight the whole time. i think i murdered my iris'. maybe with a little help i can restore them. also i dont know what kind they are, my neighbor said they bloom white.

If they are tall beardeds (do they have a tuber about the thickness of a big toe, more or less?) they can live out of the ground for a while. By putting in sunlight you actually saved them from rotting. But being without soil the leaves will yellow and die.
You should trim them (clip fans) so that they are no more than 5" high. Remove any dead parts too. Then prepare a bed (dig up the soil, remove rocks, and add something to keep the ground fluffy depending on what kind of soil you have), then plant close to the surface.
I hope that is helpful.
Laetitia